Social conservatives worry about ‘dilution’ and an opening for more-centrist candidates in presidential race

An unusually large field of Republican presidential contenders is trying to win the support of evangelical primary voters, worrying many social conservatives that their influence will be diluted in a way that boosts more-centrist candidates.

The crowd of contenders angling for evangelical votes muddies the prospects for a repeat of the two latest Republican primary campaigns, in which Christian conservatives helped catapult...